No more scorched skin? Hilton Head parks may get sunscreen dispensers
The South Carolina sun can be unforgiving to beachgoers who forget their sunscreen, but Hilton Head Island may soon have their backs.
Some of the island’s parks and recreation areas may get free SPF 30 sunscreen dispensers, according to a plan that won preliminary approval from the Hilton Head Town Council on Tuesday.
The dispensers are part of a project pitched by the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce’s adult leadership program, which would include installing 10 free sunscreen dispensers at seven recreation areas called “sunshine stands.”
Marked by a sign with the chamber leadership program’s logo and a yellow or dark green dispenser, the stands could appear as early as this summer, according to the project plan.
Here’s where the dispensers would be located:
- North end: Squire Pope Rowing and Sailing Center, Barker Field Park (2) and Jarvis Creek Park
- Mid-island: Shelter Cove Community Park and Chaplin Community Park (2)
- South end: Crossing Park (2) and Bristol Sports Arena
Notably, Coligny Beach and the town beach access points are not proposed locations for sunscreen dispensers.
The areas were chosen by the class, which includes assistant town manager Josh Gruber, because they see a high amount of foot traffic and are “in areas where patrons may not think to wear sunscreen.”
The dispensers will likely be manufactured by Brightguard, a California-based company founded in 2014 that has installed dispensers for baseball teams such as the Atlanta Braves and Oakland Athletics.
The sunscreen dispensers will cost about $6,000 annually to refill and maintain. The chamber’s leadership class plans to finance the initial installation through a cash donation to the town, according to the project plan.
After that, the town would control the dispensers and either pay to maintain them or remove them, according to a memo from town engineer Scott Liggett.
Each year 4.3 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer in the United States, according to skincancer.org. About 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun, the site says.
This story was originally published January 23, 2020 at 10:22 AM.
